Printing with Light

This pretty blue picture would not have been possible without electromagnetic waves from the sun. The energy of sunlight was used to produce the image on sun-sensitive paper. The picture was created by Anna Atkins, a British scientist who was the first female photographer.

News You Can Use

The picture above was made with the help of electromagnetic waves called ultraviolet light. These waves have shorter wavelengths, higher frequencies, and more energy than visible light, which is the light we can see.

Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gsfc/3927825968/

License: CC BY-NC 3.0

NASA collected ultraviolet radiation from space to create this ultraviolet portrait of the Andromeda galaxy
[Figure2]

Because of their high energy levels, ultraviolet waves can cause chemical reactions. The chemical reactions they cause on special sun-sensitive paper or fabrics produce images like the one above.